Making Sense of Financial Statement Ratios

Many basic features of a business' business can be gleaned from their set of financial statements. However, the more intricate details can be found through ratio analysis.

The financial statement's figures are measured in currency units, which have little value in themselves because they do not consider the scale of business operations. By comparing relative sizes of these figures, this problem with units of measurement are eliminated by removing the units entirely. The resulting ratios are scale-free and can be used in comparing:

• Two businesses of different sizes
• The same business as it grows (or collapses) over time.

Analysts have devised myriad ratios to use in this type of analysis. What do they mean in real-world terms?

Five reasons to like Bears

World of Warcraft's portrayals of things are noticeably cartoony when compared to real life equivalents. Bears and druids in Bear Form are no different, being any combination of cute, adorable, cuddly, pitiable and likeable.

This regular will dissect the art of various characters to identify some features that appeal to the inner child.

1. Wide abdomen
A wide figure appeals to the touch when hugging, especially if it is soft and plushy. There is little question to why bear hugs, in particular, feel so nice!

Ulduar Protocol

I have seen worlds bathed in the Makers' flames. Their denizens fading without so much as a whimper. Entire planetary systems born and raised in the time that it takes your mortal hearts to beat once... A million, million lives wasted. Had they all held within them your tenacity? Had they all loved life as you do?

Algalon's dying breath

Considering the tremendous amount of history contained in the Storm Peaks, it might be worth finding out how Ulduar got there. A history of Azeroth's defense mechanisms follows. It all started during the Ordering...

Parasitic, necrophotic symbiotes
Azeroth was not as peaceful and beautifully formed as it currently is. Before the Titans' arrival, the elements would rage across the world in endless conflict, and the Old Gods would exact chaos upon it.

Random Ramblings to 8 August 2009

Archivist
A person who maintains the material in an archive. This can involve collecting, organising and assessing the records. Among their skills, they show expertise in preserving the physical media on which information is contained. In WoW, Auriaya is the archivist for the secrets of Ulduar.

Information asymmetry
A concept in economics which suggests that buyers and sellers in a real-world market cannot find each other easily (lacking information about each others' presence). One needs to search for the other before a trade can occur. However, doing extra searching will come at a cost, so these costs should be balanced against the benefits expected in deciding which to do.

Archavon's Parade

Which better way to Wintergrasp's Titan Relic than a beeline? The Scourge successfully employed this strategy in invading the Sunwell, after all (though their sheer numbers may have had something to do with it). This 160-man raid may now be trying to squeeze through an instance portal to Archavon...


It would be interesting to note Blizzard's use of perspective in this shot (where parallel lines seem to meet at a certain vanishing point). The above annotated image is provided for convenience.